The Sun. — London, England, 1838-10-09 00:00:00

. I LITERATURE. :1'14.1:: LE; LAs ,11 D ();Zit.:;iu I' . Taylor. - . The necessity which the contributors to the political de_ Partment of the " British and Foreign Review" conceive themselves to be under, to confirm every statement which they may make, by statistical tables, is not calculated to pro mote its popularity. Custom-house details are very well in a Parliamentary Report, and statistical, ethnographical, topo graphical, and financial statements, are admirable ingredients in judicious and rapid summaries of the riches, resources, WI capabilities of nations ; but when such statements and details are dwarfed to the resources of a province of a country but little known, and less understood, they be "me more perplexing than instructive—more tiresome than profitable. These remarks are intended to apply to t he ve r y l ong and laboured review of a work pub ``stied S two years ago at St. Petersburgh, entitled Survey of the Ru ss i an P os sessions beyond the Cau "sus" which would gain considerably by being curtailed of half its present dimensions. This Review is not with °lit merit, but the tediousness of its details is enough to `y v ent the generality of readers from getting through it hat, however, most surprises us, is the writer's ad rn '" j eas with respect to the probable consequences of lc the Ttrabl s hment of a compiete Russian despotism overans caAucasian P rov i nces , w hil e en deavouring to: pers • uade t eat Britain t o prevent suc h catastrophe. Take, as ,e x ample, the following specimen : e Ri considers her - Transcaucasian possessions, as it is h lPress ed in the roject of her Minister of Finance which we ,ave mentioned P as a colony which is to supply her with the tim e material necessary for her manufactures, and, at the same falnetell,reosp.en a profitable market for the produce of those mani makin Some people may sneer at the idea of Russia's g a flourishing and profitable colony of her Transcauca .. • theossessions ; but we suspect that, with such capabilities 11: 01/ "e re g . " , 1 ossess, a little assistance, or even the re . - r;r' teuarial ofentheregiies, tolerable burdens which now grind down thair would produce the most brilliant . results. ha vea n a striking example in Egypt, which, administered by Renergetic barbarian, has effected wonders. Let us take, as a s chance, the cultivation of cotton. The Brazilian cotton di nir "inced into Egypt in 1822, in order to replace the in eugtteon°us, and the same year five millions of French pounds of amftern wool were collected ; but no longer than tego years „ity wards i • 194 45 000 000Ibs. of that valuable corn .vver e Pro ln clue B e - d 'ther ' e. 'B . ad as the Government of sta . vr a n i S , Ire do not think that it is worse than the Egyptian • 1 . believe, that if the Russian Government once seriously P les itself to the improvement of its Transcaucasian -f p — flees, they will i•se in a short time to a high degree i o m r a elPeri tY, furnishing the Russian manufacturers with nttie rawwith 711;terial, and at so low rate as to enable them to comp.e Asia. _maufactures in the markets of Persia and Centralcountries, i n 'thremoval of the grievances which oppress those o eff ect e shape of the absurd system of taxation, will (' have di a i n de n - 0 - " ar dlY to be caletilated ; and that this will be spee h. 4nPearing ' u nlY be anticipated from the work under review, w i d e e , under the au , pices of the Government, strongly Pprecates the present financial system of the Transcaucasian n i Nvinc es; and argues that under merely tolerable manage eut they might become the most flourishing part of the Rui -440 dominions. Even now the high price of labour (at Tiflis COril mon labourer may earn one silver rouble, 35. 4d. per d aY), such and comparative cheapness of food, and even luxuries, naev ) wine errn any, many fro nt wine an d f ruit, will attract great num b ers o f emigr ants n of whom have settled at different period s hers ° f Pal Parts o f Russia. Besides voluntary settlers, num- Ger or whom the R uss i an G overnment ma y eas ily attr a ct from Whom by g i v i ng them sufficient encourageme:,t, it may re- Sort to the ' n p. expedient which has often been successfully tried 4 1 1) uat country, i. e. a forced transplantation of a large num ,lar o f families from the wild and ba , ren regions of Russia to 1,16. more favoured parts of her dominions. We repeat, that to 11 . g the Transcaucasian provinces to a high degree of pros pern,, .J: nothing is wanting but a good, or at least a tolerable, kuninistration ; and this is by no means una tt a i na bl e as soon as th e Russian Government, having become convinced of its Im P o rfance, shall s er i ous ly app l y itself to the task. That such result is not impossible we have good evidence in the Cri aTa, Whi c h, i n t h e b eg i nn i ng o f i ts su bj ect i on to Russia, had :len to a much lower state than it had been in under the rule ca th e Gherays ; but whose prosperity is now so rapidly ad vancing by an improved mode of administration, that the value " 1 f land, in several parts of that peninsula, has risen, in the shnrt space of a few years, from 100 to 1,500 rouble s (p aper ) t he desiatine." If the writer be so firmly persuaded that "a good," Or even a "tolerable" Administration, would follow the establishment of Russian authority . beyond the only that a sr high degree of prosperity" is not not u.n atfaiinable, but probable, in the event of the Imperial b a g i e alaproachina. still nearer to the Oriental lair of the aerit' h • '" that would Lon, we cannot undertake to defend the morality at would prevent such a result by the effusion of a 'nation's blood and the loss of her treasures. We are apposed t o the views and the designs of Russia ; but we ppoaed to them those dictated by a on higher and purer grounds tha n e mere regard for the solvency of our e o r eh ants—alth oug h that, with us, has ever b een an o bj ec t eveteat solicitude. We are opposed to Russia because ]aka i u.owauhneerrstc: be essentially barbarian—to be barbarian ner roic)ln foreign in her language, in her literature, in her .administration, and in the whole routine of her empire toreign and domestic. In aiming at universal ' she only aims at the universal slavery of the s h e ltl an race. She has no high and ennobling purposes— tio co uld not even compre h en d t h em. Th e hi g h civilize eel? Lei E ngland, F rance, B e l g i um, H o ll an d, an d th e more kn beeo l iz t ee , fro m n d ro being States, is gall and wormwood to her ; able to comprehend the force of fat a l ed ge farther th an a vague conce ption of its being spot .to le despoti sm , s h e equa ll y f ears an d a bh ors e very ete re which she kno ws it t o b e cherished. It is as the e ar — Y of the liberties of mankind, and not as the rival of de oe er ehants, e i t h er i n t h e E ast or W es t, that . we P ete u r eee the aggress i ve po li cy o f t h e C a bi ne t o f St. With sber gh• " Catholicism in Prussia " presents us th e a lumin ous l y correct view of the quarre l b etween of tn. Courts of B er li n an d R ome on the subject fre u ll ed marriag es , b ut t h e quest i on h as b een b ro ught so . ee tlY befor e th e pu bli c b y a ll t h e l ea di ng J ourna ls, Th e 11 'ay be said to have lost all newspaper interest. Pen ta "le w of in Sat age Landor's " Pentameron . and and :_ l° g i a" is in a high degree subtle and discriminating, aeg e Le • t he main perfectly correct. There are few who arc tha t air 'ted , with Mr. Landor's works who will not admit °th e . W hat he does well be does better than perhaps any h e e ,. ' v ale writer ; but that there are circles into which Pusan Penetrate, after repeated trials, is equally indis- Ues t , With a rich imagination, a fine fancy, a flowing v ari e d' e i d eloquence, unqustioned scholarship, deep and th'h k nowledge, and a decided style, he might be any atinfltd. he did not aim at being everything, and what is ear n er e dangerous, at being singular. A democrat who ch ance endure the presence ' of a crowd runs a desperate taerj.,ei of losing himself in individual solitude. " Corn itev(Ved Manufacturing Progress of Belgium since the . atruct,_"on," embodies within a reasonable compass an in : thrivin've outline of the present condition of . that very done e g S tate. The writer' is of opinion that the indepen ,terusai of p the Belgian throne is not endangered by the . I . eti t i et the King of Holland to acknowledge its unar truism which nobody will think of disput a.et,tled 11 1 , 1 . 1 , 1 4 "alit quo of the last seven y ears has s-ota, th at question ; so that the Downing-street preto• have aftte oft question the subject of ridicule in the Tory Journals, vorei, e. stron 1 00 er all ,Gon•done as much for Belgium as would an army eeeets i backed by the moral power of half the Go aragua „ a Europe. The Reviewer of the " Letters on "Pre s. , rally bears o u t th e f a vourable opinion which we he ne "Pressed of the excellence of that work. In some places th ere more than amplifies our very expressions. Here and Profit : ti t l e abstract passages of which Mr. O'Connell might. -Irish LY avail himself in his epistolatory addresses to the " g,;„e °PI e • We select one equally forcible and correct : Pl'esti on - a t i l4 tion was ever yet reduced to slavery, except it had Its 'Y been demoralized • a conqueror may exterminate Itroy i ts and its armies, pro scribe' its language and laws, de )34USlEtetro rn . er ee, amid lead away the remaining fragments of act Ni es into tole vrs only hopeless bondage :so was it with the Jews our ewt s e.marts of old, and so has it been with the Poles in e t' li tuneiti: the est oh t t? he a n rts th ef e nation itself has ceased to exist, the 'Presentativ exiles and emigrants. Then the lo t , ° t itters of nationality are those %ho sit down by But and weep, and hang their . e tY tre e ,harps upon a °lerid but no nation that had not previously lost what tusa er ge calls the citadel of the moral being,' ever bent hap eri th i e Yoke, an d the e a ' Rome mid yet continued to be a nation : witness .Hapsburg; the Imperial Russia R aunts of lmperial Austria under under the House P rus a lT, an " ; Spain under rg; m S er l i o a s IV. and Fernando VII. ; u nder u nder the descendants of Frederick the Great ; Italy da y of l ac swarr a of Austrian Archdukes ; France in the hey tpoil libel... child of e han ge r fir;,t Revolution, when every month brought her a tyrants ; in the zenith of her Empire, when the fortune trampled upon every vestige of her tannottwr Med L er t l' i es, and consoled her with rags of glory; in arid our,e,ituperishable days, when e a cunning gamester jockied Ana; under the rule of her Citizen King, when Lyonsroared blood flowed in the streets of Paris and 1114 ;f 0 1311t if such demoralization have taken place, then even of u r : Tir i n s of C onstitution a l Government are the . true , engines • e ","eY and th • near e signs of that demoralization may b . e read t ands a l cae • in il a nation become so selfish as to think she . liberties thenations world, and to turn her eyes from the iroh t}irce4ts of othe r that look to her as the gua i ra r nt i e e e ; if henrnhsigher classes, and especially_ icis a f 41 1 .. t , iv e bodies, split themselves into factions,. to whose petty , fractional interests t fritter awa r e a s r t.s:henational up,4.e h lf e a r re lo is wo o r ff, c r l • a e s d sos and t he throat for YintheaPdva'nsei It'eornber,!at of force ; disputesftheband if selfish class-interests by if that threat be ever listened to for a ; her education become daily more and more con to ail th e i ntellect, to the exclusion of the higher faculties h er m nature ; if her established church become a sect ; and z at ore pruri ent and sentimental ; her pu bli c wr i ters a liarr i a aals vain and venal ; above all, if the sanctity of the ..„, then ge bon . d be unre cog nized, and its stringency weakened a oat on 1 :8 demoralized, and, in spite of its Lords and Commons, either on the high-road to a tyranny, or an easy ; . .;.1 , • in a left degree, to the objections taken to the Review of the Transcaucasian provinces of Russia. It abounds too much in minute details ; and, did our limits admit of such a discussion, we think we could easily show that the Re viewer has not taken a sufficiently comprehensive view of the designs of the French Government. But more of this on some future occasion. The Review of " Chateaubriand's Congress of Verona" is very smartly and gracefully written. Seldom has the vanity of this elegant but flippant French man received 'a. fillip so gracefully administered as in the instance before us. We have now enumerated all the ar ticles in this Number, with the exception of a deservedly laudatory Review of Mr. Milne's Poems, which have been already favourably noticed in The Sun. TRAVELS IN AUSTRIA, RUSSIA, AND PRUSSIA.-2 Vols. Bentley, London, 1838. The most entertaining and intelligent portion of these travels is that wherein the author describes his voyage by steam down the Danube, which possesses much the same merit that Mr. Quin's recently published description of the same excursion possesses—that is to say, it is minute and lively in its details, full of incident, and singularly happy in its sketches of character. Next to this, in point of amuse ment, we may place the author's account of the present state of society in Hungary, which contains many matters of information which we do not remember to have met with in print before. The author, it seems, was much pleased with the Hungarians, whom he evidently studied closely during his residence in the country ; " they are," he tells us, " a dark mid rather handsome people, with more liveli ness of expression and feeling than the Austrians ; the women are pretty, with universally dark eyes and hair ; and both sexes exhibit an indescribable something which bespeaks an eastern origin." The prejudice in favour of birth appears to be carried to a most extravagant height in Hungary. " When the Serfs are spoken of," observes the author, " it must be borne in mind that in this country a man's appearance does not alw vs indi cate his rank. A poor, ragged creature, cultivating his field, is es likely to be a noble as a serf. Since nobility is not restricted by the law of primogeniture, a vast number of the aristocracy have become paupers, dependent on their owa manual labour, and earning a miserable subsistance ; yet they enjoy all the privileges of their birth, and are ex empted from the extortion practised on those of common blood. Tike pride and interests of the oligarchy combine to protect this anomalous class of democratic aristocrats." The author's descriptions of the scenery of the Bosphorus, and of the splendors of that queen of cities—lmperial Constantinople, are cleverly and vividly given, but the sub ject is so haAnied, that it is next to impossible to give it interest. The volumcs are illustrated with four engrav ings, and are the production of a clergyman named Elliott. A DICTIONARY OF ARTS, MANUFACTURES, AND MINES. _Longman, London, 1838. A useful, practical work, which Dr. Ure, the Editor, proposes to complete in ten monthly parts. The Second Part is now lying before us ; it is embellished with nu merous clever wood engravings ; and among other curious and instructive matters, critains some- singular details respecting the manufacture of buttons, which, it seems, is an art divided into several branches, constituting so many distinct trades. ENCYCLOP/E'DIA BRITANNICA. Vol. XVII. Part. 11. Black. Edinburgh. 1838, • There is an elaborate article in this Part, on the subject of Phrenology, in which the arguments of the upholders of that absurd system are shrewdly and dispassionately can vassed, and proved to be utterly without foundation. The writer justly observes, " it is obvious that nothing like direct proof has been given that the presence of any particular part of the brain is essentially necessary to the carrying on of the operations of the mind. The truth is, that there is not a single part of the encephalon which has not, in one case or other, been impaired, destroyed, or found defective, without any apparent change in the sensitive, intellectual, or moral faculties. Haller has given us a copious collection of cases which bear upo❑ this point ; and a similar catalogue has been made by Doctor Ferrier, who has selected many of Haller's cases, with considerable additions from other au thors. The evidence afforded by this mass of facts, taken conjointly, appears to us sufficient to overturn the funda mental propositioa of the phrenologists." The dissertation on .‘ Physiology" is an article of great length, indicating considerable research and ingenuity of reasoning. From the learned and abstruse quality of the essay—abstruse, by-the bye, not from the manner in which it is handled, but of ne cessity from the nature of the subject—we conclude that it is the production of Mr. Macvey Napier, the Editor. The above are the two most important treatises in the Part before us, which is illustrated by several clever Plates. THE THEATRES. COVENT-GARDEN. Last night brought one of the testing trills of this theatre, and of its present hopes, when the friends of the high drama might have been expected to make a rally and show their numbers. Hamlet was performed, with Mr. Macready in his favourite part, and the other characters of the tragedy effec tively distributed. Nor were the just anticipations of the occasion disappointed. The pit was crowded from the open ing of the doors, and the dress circle was well attended ; half price quite filled the house. Mr. Macready was received with a most enthusiastic greeting. It were now utterly superfluous to descant on the met its of Mr. Macready's Hamlet ; it has been a thousand times, and on all hands, canvassed, until nothing is left to criticism but iteration ; for our own parts, we shall at present merely remark, and generally, in conformity with opi nions already frequently expressed, that the performance is not only one of his best efforts, but one in which he allows least pretext to the laudatores temporis acti to revert regrettingly to his great contemporaries or predecessors. Mrs. Warner's Queen has not been equalled in latter times on our stage. She assumes a truly regal air in the part, which well becomes the once-beloved consort of the great royal Dane, while it renders her degraded posit;on the more monstrous. Mrs. Warner also imparted a fine pathos to the celebrated scene with Hamlet, which, on this occasion. was certainly the moat effective portion of the play. Mr. Warde was a highly im pressive Ghost. Bartley is by no means the ideal of Polo nius ; he makes the old courtier merely humorous and farci cal ; thus, nevertheless, winning much indiscreet applause. The whole performance of the tragedy was very effective, and it occasionally drew down reiterated plaudits. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1838. ADEL PHI. A new burletta, by Idr.Coyne, under the title of Fanny Sims ; or, the Mistress of Arts, was the novelty of last even ing, at this theatre. The scene is laid in Russia, where Miss Sims ( Mrs. Keeley) is the governess in the family of Count Muffenuff ( Mr. Cullenford). She has originally sold cigars in the neighbourhood of the Temple, during which time she had formed a " romantic attachment," like Sylvester Dagger wood of old, for Brush (Mr. J. Webster), a smearer of sign posts, who has also migrated to Russia, and become a portrait painter, through the patronage of old Muff•anuff, whose face, amongst others, he has transmitted to future generations. In the present, as in former cases, the course of true love does not run smooth. Brush has inspired Paulina (Miss Cotterel), the niece of Muffenuff), with the tender passion, as has Fanny in the breast of Ivan( Mr. H. Beverly )as great a "muff" as his lather the Count. Plenty of courtship, singing, cross purposes, gallo pading, indicatives time out of mind of the tender passion, ensue, and the affair, which is light and laughable, winds up to the satisfaction of the parties, save, perhaps, in the despair of Ivan, and the despondency of Pauline at the union of Brush and Fanny. Mrs. Keeley, who has an excellent notion of burl, sque, was quite at home in Fanny Sims, and perhaps a more laughable er ludicrous scene was never witnessed than that in which she sang► " The light of other days," with an accompaniment by herself on the cornet a-piston. The cur tain fell amidst the applause of a full house, and the audience testified their acquiescence by similar demonstrations on the piece being given out for repetition. It is rumoured that a bridge will be built over the river Severn at Newnha n, and that the matter is to be taken up by Government. It is assumed that the mineral wealth lately brought to light in the Forest of Dean has tended much to the desire to improve the communications in this part of the country.—Gloucester Journal. DISTRESS OF THE HAND-LOOM WEAVERS.— In order to prove the cruel insufficiency of remuneration for band-loom weaving, it is necessary only to glance at a table of wages which was recently presented to the Commissioner by Brierly himself, a hand-loom weaver, and published last Sa turday in the Halifax Express. From this statement of the present earning of the weavers it appears that many indi viduals (in one township there are two thousand looms) do not obtain upon an average more than daily for food and raiment. The highest daily average per head is not more than 2id., but from five to eight farthings is the more common price per head paid for a day's work. The profit en capital, it is admitted on all hands, is as low as remuneration of labour is inadequate ; and the evil of all this is no doubt mainly at tributable to the iniquitous operation of the Corn-laws— of that scandalous system of starvation, that cruel and accursed code, the injustice and impolicy of which we have so often de nounced as the devil's own laws. A remarkable specimen of the magpie species was lately shot at Wath-upon-Dearne, by William Addy : it was bred near Newhill Hall, the seat of John Payne, Esq., and is about eleven inches long, and stands about eleven inches high, is of a beautiful bright fawn colour on the head, neck, breast. wings, thighs, and tail shaded to a bright brown on the darker feathers of the wing coverts, and the belly is of a cinereous white ; the bill, legs, feet, and claws are of a brownish black, which another year would no doubt have made beautifully black, and it is really to be regretted that its death was occa sioned by its capture. It is well worthy a place in any collec tion, and would even add interest to the still-life aviary of a Waterton.—Doncaster Gazette. • A letter from Bagneres of the 30th ult., states that a slight shock of an earthquake, attended with a rumbling noise, was felt at Cauterets on the 24th, at a quarter to two, A. M., but from its taking place in the night was felt only by a few persons. CUSTOM HOUSE ABUSES {'ti DiTOR OF TUE SUN Sin—The zeal and ability with which abuses of ad kinds are exposed in your valuable and extensively circulated paper induces me to request the favour of your giving the following statement insertion in your columns. In the course of business it occasionally happens that I dispose of my refined sugar for exportation, engaging in the contract of sale to the merchant that the quality of it shall be equal in quality to that of the double refined standard loaf in the possession of the officer of Customs at the export docks. My sugar has been frequently ( an d as I will presently show, unjustly) seized by the officer, upon the plea that the quality of it is not equal to standard sample ; under such a dilemma the practice is that the sugar refiners memorialize the Commissioners of Customs, alleging generally that the sugar is of equal quality, an d ought to be shipped, and praying for a fair examination of the respective samples, &c. As the majority of your readers will not comprehend the nature of the contrivance by which these memorials are brought under the august notice of these Thames-street Potentates—their Honours the Com missioners of Customs—it is necessary to explain how the Star Chamber-like affair is conducted : These said memo rials, being respectfully worded, are dropped into a kind of letter-box, fitted up for the purpose, in the Custom House ; in two or three days after a memorial is so deposited, the applicant finds his name inserted in a book, having certain figures placed against it—say twenty ; he has then to with draw a sliding piece of board, and to thrust his head through the aperture which the removal of the slide dis covers ; his eyes then encounter a formidable green screen of sufficient dimensions to hide a brace of clerks who are comfortably established behind it : to the question, " what answer for No. 20 ?" one of these officials replies, in 99 out of a 100 cases, be the wording of the memorial what it may —" the Boar d orders that the sugar be delivered to you on payment of two, three, or five pounds (the amount being regulated more by the bile on the Commissioner's stomach than by any recognized rule) satisfaction money to the seizing officer." From this decision it is useless to appeal ; if a memorialist should do so he is brought in contact with men whose stock of sugar knowledge is of the most mo derate degree, and, who, consequently, pinning their faith on their practical officer's report (the man who is to re ceive the satisfaction money), surely end the matter by giving their dictum confirmatory of the Board's order. Now, Sir, would any human being beyond the precincts of the Custcm House, believe that these said worthies, their Honours of Thames-street, have, on the representa tion of their practical and satisfaction money-receiving offi cers, connived at and authorized the substitution of a standard sample of sugar to govern the judgment of their infal ible officers, considerably finer in quality than that which the law warrants ! That there shall be no tnistake in what I write, I quote the Act of Parliament, which is remarkably particular in defining how these standard loaves shall be fabricated. The Act says, " The re s h a ll be provided by and at the expence of the Committee of Sugar Refiners in London, and, in like manner, by and at the expence of the Committee of Merchants in Dublin, as many loaves of double refined sugar, prepared in the man ner hereinafter directed, as the Commissioners of Customs shall think necessary, which loaves when approved of by the said Commissioners shell be deemed to he standard samples ; one of which loaves shall he lodged with said Committees respectively, and one ether with such persons as the said Commissioners shall direct, for the purpose of comparing therewith double refined sugar, or sugar equal in quality to double refined sugar, entered for exportation for the bounty ; and fresh standard samples shall in like manner be again furnished by such Committees respectively, and in like man ner lodged, whenever it may he deemed expedient by the said Commissioners, provided always that no loaf of sugar shall be deemed to be a proper sample loaf of double refined sugar, as aforesaid, if it be of greater weight than 141b5., nor unless it be a loaf complete and whole, nor unless the same shall have been made by a distinct second process cf refine ment, from a quantity of single refined sugar, every part of which had first been pt rfectly clarified and duly refined, and had been made into lumps or loaves which were of a uni form whiteness throughout, and had been thoroughly dried in the stove."-9 Geo. iv., cap. 76, sec. 18. Having shown what the Act of Parliament defines and decides how and what these standard loaves should be, it remains for me to prove that the Board of Customs have, in defiance of all law, imposed upon the refining trade, by substituting a standard sample of sugar of finer quality, and of a peculiar manufacture, not recognised by the Act, and fortunately it happens that I shall not have to combat with them without being able to supply excellent proof of their delinquency. Oh, the satisfaction money ! How tempting to the eager grasp ! This proof will be found established beyond doubt in a letter addressed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, dated 17th March, 1838, which states, that " they (the Commissioners of Customs) rejected the legal standard,,and caused an arbitrary standard to be prepared, which is of a quality superior to that de fined by the Act." * * * * Again, the same letter refers to a report from the Commissioners of Customs of the 18th August, 1836, " wherein the want of legal authority for the standard in use is readily ad mitted" by the said Commissioners. With this conclusive evidence of the scandalous fraud which has been practised against me for two years at least, I mean to go before a Jury, as soon as term commences, to seek the restoration of all the satisfaction money I have paid to the seizing of ficer, as well as damages for the costs attending the neces sary re-manufacturing of the sugar thrown on my hands, and the money I have paid to purchase sugar to complete my various and numerous contracts, violated through this base conduct on the part of these Worthies of the Cus toms, and I hereby invite all my brother refiners who have been so robbed, both in Londo❑ and out of it, to be pre pared to do the same. I am, Sir, your constant reader, WtC., Sugar-Refiner. LORD BROUGHAM AND GREEK. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,---You will excuse rue for informing you that it is quite natural for the Times to think, as we all do about this part, very lightly of people pretending to understand Greek. who have not attailled the hen Atr of being " Gre cians." We don't know where Lord Brougham went to school, but we know it was not hereabouts, and conse quently in our opinion, and in that of all " the Grecians," the language of the writers of Greece must be all Greek to him. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, mus TRIMMINGS. Newgate-street, near Christ's Hospital. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin, —Although I do not agree with you in politics, I am happy to bear testimony to the talent and vigour with which your paper is conducted. The Sun is,.in fact, the only publication that deserves the name of an Evening Paper, the other papers contenting themselves with a merely servile copy from the papers of the morning ; while your paper invariably contains the additional news of the current day. Will you allow me to offer a few remarks, suggested by your leading article of this evening, respect ing the proceedings of the " Reformation Society." I should be sorry, if it were as true as I fear many suppose it to be, that the aforesaid Society expresses the general opinion of the English Clergy. I can assure you, on the c ontrary, that the great majority of my. clerical brethren view the proceedings of that Society wit h the utmost dis gust and abhorrence ; nor are there any individuals with whom a large and increasing portion of our body would more: peremptorily decline to come in contact than tvith Messrs. O'Sullivan, M'Ghee, and O'Neill, of Exeter Hall and Liverpool notoriety. In fact , Sir , t h e Church .of England is not a Protestant Church , and I cal l upon tne zealous members of the Reformation Society, and all others whom it may concern, to show upon what groun ds they link the cause of the Church of England with that of Protes tantism t The term is never used in any of the formula ries of the Church, nor does our Church recognize the va lidity of the orders of any one of the Reformed or Protes tant Churches of Germany, France, or Scotland. We do indeed differ from the Romanists, inasmuch as we contend that the Church in this country being able to trace its descent from the Apostles, and having made certain alte rations in its Liturgy, and by competent authority— viz., that of the Church itself. They (that is the Ro manists) are acting schismatically in separating from us, but we fully allow the validity of their orders, and their right to be considered an integral part of Christ's Church. This cannot be more clearly shown than by proposing a familiar instance. Let us suppose that Dr. Chalmers should wish to become a clergyman of the Church of England ; in order to this he would be required to cease from hi s m i n i ster i a l d ut i es f or a space , per h a ps, of . three years, so as vi rtua ll y to renounce a ll hi s prese nt claims to he considered a Minister of the Gospel, in ordertbathe might obtain testimonials that for so long a time he had " neither held, written,or taught an ythi ng contrary t o the doctrine or discipline . of the Ch urc h o f E ng l an d." H e wo uld then have t?be °roamed a Dea con , in which office he would have to con tinue some time (a year usually), during which time he would characterhl he be ; recognisedwhereas, a fu ß l l o y m investednßomania p, not be qualified to administer the sacrament of the Eucharist nor to hold a benefice. Nor till he was ordained priest t w ia o l u to enter our communion, he is received without any re-ordi nation., without any further ceremony, than 'a mere sub scription to the Articles. Does it 'not therefore, appear that . these . ultra-Protestants of the Reform ' ation Society are e w s i t th s should wish nis t acting quite contrary to the spirit and intention of that Church of which th e y f ancy t h emse l ves the ornaments, when they fraternize with Presbyterians and Independents' _>,f;r erpto. n , ' on• cf and the omninm galheryint of Dis wi..)in the Church of England, to whicl I:.;:i.irers of .J.e visible C.•:ri,ll, and clp:mi their hatred upon the Church of Rome, through which the Church of England derives her orders, and her quarrel with which is upon points of very secondary consideration ? I am not claiming your approval of these sentiments, but I am speaking of matters of fact—that the Church of England is not a Protestant Church, and has no con nection with Protestantism. For myself, I abhor Protes tantism in all its shapes, and I regret exceedingly that a loose manner of speaking, and a foolish hatred to, the Romanists, should ever lead members of the Catholic Church of Christ in England to disgrace themselves, as Messrs. ('Sullivan and Co. have done. I, for one, 1 upon the Reformation as an event greatly to be deplored. I think that all the reformations effected (even if they were all reformations) were not worth the sacrifice of unity by which they were attained. I would willingly yield much—aye, very much—to be reconciled again with the other Churches of Christendom : and certainly, should the Church of England fall (which God forbid), I should have no hesitation in avowing my adherence to the Church of Rome. These are, I know, very hurried remarks, but the sub joct is of importance. For instance, lam a Conservative or Tory in politics, but I (and I know it to be the case with many others) cannot join the Conservative party be cause they make their abhorred Protestantism the stalking horse of their party, and endeavour to unite Churchmen and Dissenters, or, in other words, England and Geneva, against Rome, instead of trying to conciliate Rome, and fighting with her against Geneva. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, AN ANTI. PROTESTANT LONDON Oct. 8, 1838. CLERGYMAN. PORTUGAL. LISBON, OCT. 2.—The results of the last Lisbon elections in virtue of the second scrutiny, is not yet definitively known but I believe that the majority, if not the whole of the persons returned, will belong to the ultra• Liberal party. We hear from Guimeracus that the elections in that district have fallen almost equally on individuals belonging to both parties: in every other respect, there is very little of importance to com municate. It is not very likely that our Government at home will induce these people to agree to the new slave treaty so long since proposed by us. They declare that they likewise wish the abolition of the slave trade, but they wish it done gra dually, and in such a manner as that it will not bring with it the ruin of their colonies, which would inevitably be the case if it were to be suddenly put a stop to ; the English, on the other hand, say they, are deriving considerable benefit from the actual state of things, because they increase the popula tion as well as tVe importance of their settlement at Sierra Leone by conveying thither all the slaves which are found by their cruizers on board the ships they capture. I have every reason to believe that this line of policy on the part of the Government is highly approved of by the majority of the people of this country. A Royal Decree has been issued, appointing a commission to investigate and propose such reforms as they deem expe dient in the administrative code, as well as in the law of the 29th of March, 1834, regarding the organization of the Na tional Guard, his Excellency M. Fernandez Covelo, Alin'ster for the Home Office, and Messrs. J. B. d'AlmeiAa Garret, L. J. Mo. ris, Count Taipa, Felix Perez Mayalhaet, and Olympic) J. d'Oliveira arc appointed Members of said Corn rniFsion. The Miguelite chief Baio entered the village of Canbra, not far from Aleacer do Sal, on the 21st ult., at the head of 33 horsemen, from whence he proceeded to Pegoes and Ca brella, sleeping that evening between Sao Christovao and Grad, where he was overtaken by Ensign Castello Bramo, of the 3d cavalry, who attacked them at the head of 24 men, and succeeded in routing them with the loss of 12 killed, in. eluding Baio's brother, taking as many horses, carbines, pis tols, &c. town A n o o f ther villa Mig - ueli u Viciosa t on n g t e h rilla o26tband instant, t, 24 ao m d men entered the plundered two or three houses, besides robbing the church plate. On the other hand, we bear from Oporto that the Quinta do 83113-. mho, near Villa Nova, was entered into the other evening by a gang of robbers, and that the proprietor, a Brazilian gen tleman, was plundered of twenty thousand new crowns ! The estafette, going from Oporto to Villa do Conde, was likewise relieved of all the valuables and re idy cash it con. veyed by some individuals who kindly stopped it on the way for that purpose. The Transit steamer, from England, arrived on the 27th, and proceeded on the 29th ult. to Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Ma laga. The Braganza, with the London mail of the 22d, arrived very early on the 28th, having 99 passengers on board, his Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, his Aide. de-Camp, Colonel Cornwall, being of the cumb.A.—his Royal Highness travels under the name of Lord Culloden ; he re sided at the British Consul's. Their Majesties sent to con. gratulate him on his arrival, and he dined at the Palace on the 29th, quitting Lisbon for Cintra, Mafra, and the famous Torres Vedras lines on the 30th, accompanied by Colonel Cornwall, Major Dodwell, our packet agent, and other gen tlemen. His Royal Highness is expected to continue his voyage to Cadiz and Gibraltar, on next Saturday. The Iberia steamer, from Gibraltar and Cadiz, arrived on Sunday, and proceeds early this morning with the mails for England. The Brentese ship, George Mayer, bound for Monte Video with 65 German emigrants on board, arrived on Sunday, for the purpose of loading salt. The Porto and Qiiinto de Vesubia steamers continue to ply regularly between Lisbon, Figuera, and Oporto every week, and they will, I have no doubt, make it answer.— Morning Post. THE MAN WITH TIIE CARPET BAG.—On Sun day evening a man, having the appearance of a foreigner, called at the Bull's Head public-house, Were-street, Clare Market, and inqu i r ed if he could be accommodated with a and the after affirmative , taking h s e nme desired to refresh ment at the bar, was shown to his room. Ho had with him a i bednbo- a i n n s ‘ t v h e e r e ti d o n i s n e carpet bag of con siderable size. About half-past ei g ht on the following m ornin g be came down, and was about to leave have be (I the n best b.e the house, when Mr. Boxers, having some suspicion, inti mated that he should "take the liberty" to search the carpet bag., which had wonderfully increased in size since the pre vious night. The man upon this took to his heels, leaving the hertss,seceatts•f, only s t were ki g the swere, without doubt , t he p mr. bag behind him . Mr. B. discovered in 'it a p air of sheets, together with two linen shirts, nearl y new, a silk scarf, an d a pair of worsted pro perty of •Bo stockings. plunder of some form er lodging. A SAVAG E.—On Thursda y evenin g , between the hours of eight and nine o'clock, a perso n i n t h e gar b of a as observed, between Euston -square and stksli.us. The h Totten ham-court-road, to lead by a handkerchief a beautiful pointer dog, which appeared in agony from the pressure of the hand kerchief round the neck, which caused the dog to hang back. Instead of relieving the poor animal from it s torture, the in human brute to ok this " friend of man" up by its leg with both his hands, and actually dashed it against the stones seve ral times. Th e poor beast, at the last fall, became near l y lifeless ; yet it crawled towards the author of its misery, to lick his feet. Several persons who witnessed the disgusting scene cried out, " Shame, shame—give him in charge of the p o li c e," but unfortunately there was not a policeman at hand. The dog, we understand, soon afterwards died of its sufferings. It is much to be regretted that the wretch escaped, and that his name was unknown to the parties present. On Friday night as some Paupers in Greenwich workhouse were removing oakum from before a cupboard, they w ere induced , from a very offensive smell issuing th ere f rom, to open the door, when they found the body of Thomas Robin son, a pauper, who had been missing for the last ten days. It was in an advan - _•.ed state of decomposition ; the throat was cut, and a razor was l y in g b y its side. An in q uest w as held upon ' the body on Saturday, when the master of the workhouse stated that the deceased, who was a decent man , had lately com plained of a pain in his head ; he had not been heard of since the 25th of last month. The jury returned a verdict of— " Temporary Insanity. A Montgolfier, or fire balloon, of extraordinary di mensions, so as to ascend with several aeronauts, is now being manufactured under the immediate superintendence of Mr. if Green (a brother of the celebrated aeronaut), and will shortly ascend. A machine on this principle was some time since de stroyed by the populace at the Surrey Zoological Gardens, in consequence of their being disappointed in its ascent. RIOT BY RAILWAY LABOURERS.—The town of Lancaster has for the last week been in a state of much ex citement, i n consequence o f t h e riotous conduct of the la h consistsihired hy la bourers o n t h e L ancaste i and Preston Railway. It appears that whil e t h e ma j or i ty of excavators employed on this line Englishme n, ontractor at so maelofewwerhriasti7 o en f I h , a a d ge recently een o incensed the former, that they determined to drive them from their work, and prevent their competing with them any longer. The difference between the wages of the English and Irish, it appears, was 9d. a day, the former receiving 2s. 6d., and the latter only Is. 9d. Several of the Irish re ceived very violent usage, their exasperated fellow-labourers in some cases having pursued them to their lodging houses, and dragged them out from the places to which they fled for safety. To effect their purpose the English labourers as sembled 200 strong at Hampson-green, about five miles from Lancaster, and, armed with bludgeons, proceeded along the whole line, beating every Irishman that came in their way. Some of them swam the river at the Green Area to escape from their violence. Some of their ring-leaders were secured by the police, and taken before the magistrates, by whom they were committed to Lancaster Castle for re-examination. A large body of Irishmen employed on the North Union Rail way have vowed to avenge the quarrel of their countrymen.— Abridged from the Lancaster Guardian. A Hanoveriancorrespondent f The Sun contends o " that there never yet was an instance of a sovereign's ascend ing the throne in a state of blindness." Nothing can be further from truth. His own sovereign presents a remarkable proof to the contrary. Ernrst, from his youth up till now, has been blind to the laws of public propriety—blind to the wants and wishes cf the people—blind to all the signs of the times—blind even to the hand-writing on the wall—and stone blind to his own best interests and happiness.—Sunderland Herald. Last week, a t S wansea , two c hildren died from suf focation,m occ as i one d b y the smo k e ar i s i ng from the accidental ignition of a quant i ty o f straw, w hi c h was lying in the room in which they slept, and from the air in the room hash g been exhausted from the combustion occasioned.— Conbrtan. Ivi"NFY ANn Y N WS. I iiE MOltNi.Nt_. PAPERS or Tills DAY.) 't IME S.—An account recently appeared in the Paris Papers of the ships respectively captured and sequestered by the French and Mexicans, which erroneously stated that two French vessels had been made prizes of by the Mexicans. In letters from Bordeaux, of the 2d inst., received in the City, the Jean Henri, one of those alluded to, is advised of as having indeed actually arrived at San Bias, on the Pacific side of Mexico; but immediately on her appearacce, an officer was sent on board by the Commander of the port with a polite in timation that she must forthwith take her departure. It was aided, that the warning was given according to express orders from the Mexican Government in regard to all vessels arriving which had sailed from other ports, where the blockade could not have been known. The Jean Henri was bound in the first instance to Valparaiso, and, having discharged part of her cargo, thence to San Blas. On receipt of the notice, the French Captain immediately set sail without communicating with his consignees on shore. This considerate conduct on the part of the Mexican Government contrasts advantageously with that pursued by the French squadron under similar cir cumstances. The proceedings generally at the meeting of the Directors of the Citizens' Bank at New Orleans, incidentally alluded to on Friday, appear, upon examination, to be worthy of snore special notice, as highly creditable to the sagacity and intelligence with which the affairs of that institution were con ducted. In the first place a full vote of approval was passed of the course pursued by their representative at the Board of Presidents of all the banks, where he strenuously repudiated the proposition for acting only in subservience to the dictates of Mr. Biddle, and with paid-up capitals and accumulations at command of about 50,000,000 dollars, soliciting at his hands the " remedial measure" of a general currency. The Directors of the Citizens' Bank declared their opinion that the " extraordinary derangement" in the domestic exchanges was the " natural consequence" of the suspension of specie payments, a derangement which it is evident could not fail to follow when the legal standard of value had been tampered with, or had disappeared, and paper signs of it had themselves been so arbi. trarily substituted, creating a confusion of as many hundred different standards and values throughout the country as there wore banks issuing notes. It was conclusively remarked, that " were the trade suddenly deprived of its standard of measures and weights the same derangement would exist in the ex cliange of commodities." The only safe regulation for do mestic exchanges must consist in a general resumption of specie payments, by which paper convertible would really come to represent the value of which nominally only it was a token, and the rate of exchange would then fulfil its proper object, and no more, as exhibiting merely the cost or facilities of transmission of the precious metals from place to place. CH RONIC L E.—There is nothing new to comment upon in reference to the English Stock Market, as business conti nues limited, and the prices are the same as on Saturday, namely, Consols for money, 94 to and 94k tom for the ac count. Exchequer Bills, 69 to 71 prem. ; India Bonds, 68 to 70 prem. ; and India Stock, 263 to 264. Spanish Securities have been heavy throughout the day, and the operations in them have not been extensive. In the other Foreign Stocks there was no alteration. The question of a new Spanish Loan absorbs great atten tion at the present moment amongst the frequenters of the Stock Exchange and others interested in Spanish Securities. The late sudden advance in the value of Spanish Stocks has naturally given rise to various conjectures on the sub ject, as well as to the impression, which is general, that whatever may be under consideration it will '2e immediately made known and brought before the We have hitherto refrained from giving pub licity to any of the rumours of a financial nature, as we could not trace them to an authentic source; but one or two pro. jects are now spoken of amongst the leading monetary cir cles as having been submitted to the Government. That the Spanish Government is most desirous of procuring a large loan there can be no doubt, at this very critical mo ment as regards military operations; but the difficulty of de ciding upon any plan by which the foreign creditors would be fully sltisfied, while Spain at the same time would pro cure the necessary funds for carrying on her affairs and giving energy to the army, has as yet occasioned all the c. 4 fforent propositions to be laid aside. There can be no doubt, therefore, that, be the present arrangement what it may, it will be based upon ample justice being done to the holders of the existing debt of Spain, fur no other plan could be for a moment listened to, or have the slightest chance of meetinc , with success. The offer now said to be under consideration is stated to be from English and French capitalists combined, and that the loan is to be for 1 0,000,0001. , contracted for at 52/. This, it is stated, is to be paid by 271. 10s. cash, 11/. 10s. in coupons, and the remaining 131. in proportions of Active, Deferred, and Passive stocks. It is, moreover, declared that the inte rest upon the new stock is to be guaranteed by the contractors for three years, and the whole advances to be made to Spain upon the security of the different quicksilver mines and her various colonies. Such, it is said, are the outlines of the new plan ; but whether it is in conjunction with an offer recently made to the Spanish Government to purchase or rent the Philippine Islands, we have not heard. This proposal was also forwarded from this country, and 10,000,000/. was offered for the purchase, or a large sum for the loan of them for 100 years. The Government then, we know, declined the pro position, as they could not entertain the question of selling any portion of the transmarine possessions of Spain ; but as circumstances alter cases, this project may again be under consideration in connection with the new loan. The possession of these islands has long been looked for with much anxiety by persons connected with the Chinese trade ; and as the revenues arising from them to Spain does not exceed 60,000/. per annum, it was always thought the Spanish Go vernment would treat upon the subject ; but the difficulty has hitherto been to form a company sufficiently powerful to under take the business. If the reports in reference to the loan be correct, it is extremely cut ious to observe that the list of con tractors or persons deeply interested should be composed of Cal lists as well as Christinos ; and at first sight such an event would appear almost impossible ; but it would seem that there has been a perfect rupture between Don Carlos and the parties in this country who recently advanced him money ; for we hive heard of one gentleman who has had 12,0001. returned to him in cash, which he had advanced to Don Carlos ; and it is not to be supposed that the Carlists have such a superabun dvnce of ready money that they would remit such an amount unless there was more than common cause for so doing. HERALD.—The account of the calamitous fire at Liver pool on Friday evening last has created much excitement and anxiety amongst our commercial men, particularly those con nected with that important town. But at present we cannot glean any information respecting it, beyond that which has already appeared in this journal. The advices from Lancashire and other portions of the cot ton manufacturing districts, up to the close of the last week, state that considerable gloom continues to prevail in the ge neral buy nesa of those important sections of our manufac turing power, which is said to have arisen chiefly out of the contraction of money accommodation by the banks which has prevailed for the past two months. There is but little doubt that a vivid recollection of the disasters of 1836- 37, which arose out of an undue and most indiscriminate extension of credit to the American merchants, or in other words, permitting them to trade upon British capital almost without limitation, has led to the pressure to which we have referred--a 1 ressure which we understand is and has been most severely felt, whilst the existing circumstances of the country seem scarcely to warrant this limitation of credit; a restriction which is pregnant with serious consequences, both to the ma nufacturers themselves and the thousands to whom they dis pense employment. One of the consequences of the late con traction of money accommodation on the part of the Banks has been to create an extreme degree of caution on the part of the exporters of yarns, who, of course, under such circum stances, would not attempt to hold large stocks for the sup ply of the continental manufacturers, therefore, the stock of yarns in the hands of the spinners has rapidly accumulated, which aas led to considerable sales at a great sacrifice ; at the same time it must be admitted that the great increasa which has taken place during the past three years in the application of mechanical power to spinning cotton yarns, is operating very seriously upon the interests of the spinners, as it has tended to multiply the stocks so rapidly that the merchants and dealers could not take them off in the same ratio, and pay remunerat ing prices. The transactions in the British Funds continue to be car ried on on a very limited scale, and the quotations of Satur day have been but barely maintained. Consols closed at 94 a for Money, and at 94e buyers for the present Account ; the New Three-and-a- Half per Cents. are 1021 a for Money ; the premium upon Exchequer Bills is rather better to-day, having advanced to 69 a 71. There has been but very little speculation in the Foreign Market, and Spanish Bonds have left off heavily, money still b e ing worth about 4 per cent, in that Market ; Spanish Bonds, with the May Coupons, are 18'i a and without, 17 y ; those with the May Dividends are quoted at 15a ; Passive are ; and Deferred 7e aa ; Brazilian Bonds are 79a a ' 2 • Danish Bonds are 7 5 ; Dutch Two-and-a -H a lf per Cent4s., 54- ; and the Old Five per Cents. 100 . a a There has not been any activity in the Share Market. Great Western are 14 pm. ; Blackwell are 2 dis. ; Birming ham are 83 a 84 pm. ; and Croydon New Scrip VI pm- French Patent Coal are - 1 - a -a s pm. British North American Bank Shares are 2e pm., and National Bank of Ireland 1 a dis. It is contemplated to extend the Deptford and Rotherhithe Railway, in cons..quence of the improvement which that un dertaking has created in that neighbourhood. POST.—The news obtained from the Peninsula this morn ing, through the medium of the Paris Journals, caused a de cline of - 1 4 - to 4 per cent. in the value of Spanish Bonds ; but there was no variation of consequence in any other description of foreign stock. The apprehension openly expressed by the Christino Generals—Aldama, at :Madrid, and De Meer, at _Barcelona—of offensive operations on the part of the Carlists being shortly commenced, is a new and important feature in the progress of the war, and it is not surprising that such intel ligence should have given the market another shake. PO RCEL A I N.—Mr. Richardson, of the British Museum, in lecturing on geology last week at Brighton, ob served that it was a fact not generally known, that the name applied by the continental nations to an elegant article of do mestic use, China, is derived from the beautifully coloured shell termed the cyprcea, or cowrie, which in Latin and Ita lian bears the name of porcellana, and in French of porcelarne. In England the article termed " China" from the country which is famed for its manufacture;. but other European na tions bestow on it the appellation of this lovely shell, whose _ picturesque and var i e d mar ki ngs i t seems i n some TO measure imitate. ORAT()RY OF MR. SHERIDAN. (From the Edinburgh Ilevino.) Though his education had not been neglected (for he was bred at Harrow, and with Dr. Parr), yet was an idle and a listless boy, learning as little as possible, and suffering as much wretchedness—an avowal which to the end of his life he never ceased to make, and to make in a very affecting manner. Accordingly, he brought away from school a very slender provision of classical learning, and his taste, never correct or chaste, was wholly formed by acquaintance with the English poets and dramatists, and perhaps a few of our more ordinary prose writers ; for in no other language could he read with an) thing approaching to ease. Of those poets he most professed to admire and to have studied Dry den ; he plainly had most studied Pope, whom he always vili fied and always imitated. But of dramatists his passsion evidently was Congreve, and after him Vanbrugh, Farquhar, even Wycherly ; all of whom served for the model, partly even for the magazine, of his own dramatic writings, as Pope did of his verses. The Duenna, however, is formed after the fashion of Gay, of whom it falls further short than The School for Scandal does of Congreve. That his plays were great productions for any age, astonishing for a youth of twenty-three and twenty-five, is unquestionable. Johnson has accounted for the phenomenon of Congreve, at a still earlier period of life, showing so much knowledge of the world, by observing that, on a close examination, his dialogues cud characters might have been gathered from books, " without much actual commerce with man kind." The same can hardly be said of The School for Scandal, but the author wrote it when he was five years older than Congreve had been at the date of The Old Bachelor. Thus, with an ample share of literary and dramatic re putation, but not certainly of the kind most auspicious for a statesman—with a most slender provision of knowledge at all likely to be useful in political affairs—with a posi tion by birth and profession little suited to command the respect of the most aristocratic country in Europe—the son of an actor, the manager himself of a theatre—he came into that Parliament which eas enlighted by the vast and various knowledge, as well as fortified and adorned by the more choice literary fame, of a Burke, and which owned the sway of consummate orators like Fox and Pitt. His first effort was unambitious, and it was unsuccessful. Aiming at but a low flight, he failed in that humble attempt. An experienced Judge, Woodfall, told him "it would never do," and counselled him to seek again the more congenial atmosphere of Drury-lane. But he was resolved that it should do ; he had taken his part ; and, as he felt the matter was in him, he vowed not to desist till "he brought it out." What he wanted in acquired learning and in natural quickness, he made up by indefati gable industry ; within given limits, towards a present ob jset, no labour could daunt him ; and no man could work for a season with more steady and unwearied application. By constant practice in small matters, or before private Committees, by diligent attendance upon all debates, by habitual intercourse with all dealers in political wares, from the chiefs of parties and their more refined cote ries to the providers of daily discussion for the public and the chronicles of Parliamentary speeches, he trained himself to a facility of speaking absolutely essential to all but first-rate genius, and all but necessary even to that, and he acquired what acquaintance with the science of po litics he ever possessed or his speeches ever betrayed. He rose by these steps to the rank of afirst-rate speaker, and as great a debater as a want of readiness and need for pre paration would permit. He had some qualities which led him to this rank, and which only required the habit of speech to bring out into successful exhibition— a warm ima gination, though more prone to repeat with variations the combinations of others, or to combine anew their creations, than to bring forth original productions —a fierce, daunt less spirit of attack—a familiarity, acquired from his dra matic studies, with the feelings of the heart and the ways to touch its chords—a facility of epigram and point, the yet more direct gift of the same theatrical apprenticeship —an excellent manner, not unconnected with that expe rience—and a depth of voice which perfectly suited the tone of his declamation, be it invective, or be it descrip tive, or be it impassioned. His wit, derived from the same source, or sharpened by the same previous habits, was emi nently brilliant, and almost always successful : it was like all his speaking exceedingly prep are d, b ut i t was s kilf u ll y introd uce d and happily applied ; and it was well mingled also with humour, occasionally descending to farce. Hoyt little it was the inspiration of the moment all men were aware who knew his habits ; but a singular proof of this wa s presented by Mr. Moore, when he came to write his life ; for we there find given to the world the secret note books of this famous wit ; and can trace the jokes, in erne bryo, with which he had so often made the walls of St. Stephen's shake, in a merriment excited by the happy ap pearanee of sudden unpremeditated effusion. The adroitness with which he turned to account susiciers occasions of popular excitement, and often at the expense of the Whig party, generally too indifferent to such ad vantages, and too insensible to the damage they thus sus• tained in public estimation, is well known. On the mu tiny in the fleet he was beyond all question right ; ors the French invasicn, and on the attacks upon Napoleon, he was almost as certainly wrong ; but these appeals to the people and to the national feelings of the House tended to. make the orator well received, if they added little to the statesman's reputation ; and of the latter character be was not ambitious. His most celebrated speech was certainly the one upon the " Begum charge" in the pro ceedings against Hastings, and nothing can exceed the accounts left us of its unprecedented success.. Not only the practice, then first began, which has gra dually increased till it greets every good speech, of cheering, on the speaker resuming his seat ; but the Mi nister bysought the House to adjourn the decision of the question, as being incapacitated from forming a just judgment under the influence of such powerful eloquence ; whilst all men on all sides vied with each other in extol ling so wonderful a performance. Neverthelqps, the opi nion has now become greatly prevalent that a portion of this success was owing to the speech having so greatly surpassed all the speaker's former efforts ; to the extreme interest of the topics which the subject naturally presented, and to the artist-like elaboration and beautiful delivery of certain fine passages, rather than to the merits of the whole. Certain it is, that the repetition of great part of it, pre sented in the short-hand notes of the speech on the same charge in Westminster-hall, disappoints every reader who has heard of the success which attended the earlier effort. In truth, Mr. Sheridan's taste was very far from being chaste, or even moderately correct ; he delighted in gaudy figures ; he was attracted by glare, and eared not whether the brilliancy came from tinsel or gold, from the broken glass or the pure diamond ; he overlaid his thoughts with epigrammatic diction ; he " played to the galleries," and indulged them, of course, with an endless succession of claptrap. His worst passages by far were those which he evidently preferred himself—full of imagery often far-fetched, oftener gorgeous, and loaded with point, that drew the attention of the hearer away from the thoughts to the words ; and his best by far were those where be declaimed, with his deep clear voice, though somewhat thick utterance, with a fierce defi ance of some adversary, or an unappeasable vengeance against some oppressive act ; or reasoned rapidly, in the like tone upon some plain matter of fact, or exposed as plainly to homely ridicule some puerile sophism ; and in all this his admirable manner was aided by an eye singularly piercing, and a countenance which, though coarse, and even in some features gross, was vet animated and ex pressive, and could easily assume the figure of both rage, and menace, and scorn. The few sentences with which he thrilled the house on the liberty of the Press in 1810 were worth, perhaps, more than all his elaborated epi grams and forced flowers on the Begum charge, or all his denunciations of Napoleon, " whose morning orisons and evening prayers are for the conquest of England, whether he bends to the God of Battles, or worships the Goddess of Reason :" certainly far better than such pictures of his power as his having " thrones for his watch-towers, kings for his sentinels, and for the pa lisades of his castle spectres stuck with crowns." " Give them," said he in 1810, and in a far higher strain of eloquence, " a corrupt House of Lords ; give them a venal House of Commons ; give them a tyrannical Prince ; give them a truckling Court, and let me but have an unfettered Press, I will defy them to encroach a hair's breadth upon the liberties of England." Of all his speeches there can be little doubt that the most powerful, as the most chaste, was his reply in 1805, upon the motion which he had made for repealing the Defence Act. Mr. Pitt had unwarily thrown out a sneer at his support of Mr. Ad dington,_ as though it was insidious. Such a stone, cast b o y.. glass, could not fail to call down a shower of miss.: pane a person whose house, on that aspect, was on es , and they who witnessed the looks and gestures of the aggressor , under the pitiless pelting of the temp pro voked, represent it as certain that there he intended to fasten a pers o nal quarrel upon the vehement and implacable declaimer. * Mr. Sheridan wrote this speech, tempest w hich he had re were moments it the debate, at a coffee-house near the Hall ; and p s - e- h reported most accuratel y in the Parliamentary D ebates, apparently fromhis own notes. A very hto agedher existencetve nt y, ono Th u rsday morning, by young put an woman, end the name of Elizabeth by swallowing arsenic. She has b een very treatedil by a Mr. Thomas Noakes, who was paying his ad dressesl t o her, and who w as in the habit of robbing and se verely kicking her. The p oor g ir l had been prevented from handsome Rowe, y , ot throwing herself off Southwark-bridge, and had been twice recovered from the effects of laudanum, but her lest attempt on Thursday was too successful. The verdict of the Coroner's, Inquest was, " that she had destroyed herself while in a state of mental derangement, and that her death was attributable to to the misconduct and cruel treatment of the said Thomas Noakes."